Transcendance
by RayneAurelie
Summary: It didn't matter which universe, time, or place that they were in. Fate seemed to dictate they would always meet, finding love with each other every time. Collection of one shots and drabbles that are SasuSaku centric. AU and CANON-VERSE. Ratings vary from K to M. I will add to this story as I find prompts. Please leave reviews with any prompt suggestions, or PM me.
1. Drabble Directories

Hello!

I know this is not an original idea, but I decided to start my own series of drabbled one shots for Sasusaku!

Often I get little scenes and little plots that pop into my head, and there is just no way that I can write complete and multi-chapter stories about them all!

The main theme of all of these drabbles will always be Sasuke and Sakura meeting and falling in love, no matter what time, universe or place it is!

So, these are all going to be set in various times, and will be exist in alternate universe (AU) and canonical verse. The ratings will vary from K to M. I will state the category at the beginning of each one shot!

Anyway, I hope that you will enjoy my little drabbles. I have no idea how many I will end up doing so it probably won't be labeled as complete for some time.

I will update this first chapter as more oneshots are added so you all have a directory of sorts of each oneshot.

Please review and give the story a follow to be notified when new chapters are added!

Thanks for reading!

 **Oneshot Directory:**

COLLECTION I: The Star Crossed Lovers (T, AU, MODERN)

COLLECTION II: Decided Fate (T, CANON, BLANK PERIOD)

COLLECTION III: Reminding Me of Regrets PT I (M, AU, MODERN)

COLLECTION III: Reminding Me of Regrets Pt II (M, AU, MODERN)


	2. The Star Crossed Lovers

My first one shot drabble is here!

I got this idea for a one shot from the Japanese Tanabata (or Star) Festival that is typically held in Japan on July 7th.

Traditionally, it celebrates the story of two star crossed lovers (Orihime and Hikoboshi) who were seperated and can only meet once a year.

It is celebrated with festivities and colored paper decorations, and people write their wishes on strips of paper that they hang on bamboo.

Anywho, that's an explanation in a nutshell.

* * *

 **Collection I: Star Crossed Lovers**

* * *

RATING: K

UNIVERSE: AU

TIME SETTING: MODERN

* * *

Sakura sighed. She had been desperately trying to concentrate on the book that was open before her on her wooden desk, but she just couldn't get her mind to focus on the material that had been printed on the pages.

A year out from graduating pre med school, she was desperately trying to get ready to take her entrance exams into the top medical university in Tokyo.

Her phone kept buzzing and the vibration would create a loud noise on her desk as she did her best to ignore it.

Tonight was the Tanabata Festival, and Ino was being more than persistent that she stop being a hermit for once and get out for some fresh air and a little fun.

Grabbing her phone off her desk to see what kind of message Ino had sent her this time, she activated her screen and pressed on the little letter icon to open the text.

 _Forehead! We are dragging you out whether you like it or not! Hinata and I are on our way over! I promise that your textbooks won't miss you for a few hours!_

Sakura rolled her eyes in defeat as she closed her textbook. Once Ino was on one, there was no arguing with her. It's not that she didn't want to go, it's just that she was okay with skipping it. The Tanabata festival celebrated love and wishes and while she definitely wouldn't mind wishing that she will pass her exams, she wasn't particularly in the mood to be a fifth wheel either. Both Hinata and Ino had significant others. It wasn't that Sakura didn't want to have a special someone, and it's not like she hadn't gone on dates, but usually they were a one time thing, and on the rare occasion that there was a second date, it never went past that. She just didn't click with any of them, and wasn't the type to just date around until they moved on. She'd rather not get involved. The most involved she had ever been was with her best guy friend Naruto. They had been friends since childhood, along with Ino and the three of them were inseparable. Naruto's parents however died in a car crash, leaving him the heir to the Uzumaki company. Naruto suddenly moved away to the United States at the age of fifteen and had admitted that he liked her and kissed her… she just hadn't felt the same way. She was lucky that he was okay with that and their friendship had not been strained or changed in any way. They kept in contact and when he finished schooling there, he returned to Tokyo for business school so he could take over the company in full. The three of them had been united again as they attended the same school, but their little friend group grew.

Ino and Sakura met Hinata in high school and became fast friends with the shy girl. Hinata had even decided to go to the same university with them, despite her father's wishes, and that's when Naruto and her met. It wasn't long before Hinata had a serious crush on the blonde. After two years of suffering through the 'will they wont they' back and forth of Hinata's relationship with Naruto, she finally nudged the two together. They've been dating a year and Naruto had recently proposed to her. Seriously, Hinata might as well of had a fairy tale romance.

On the other hand, Ino had Sai. They had first met him in University at one of the late night dorm parties. Sakura was not particularly fond of him at first because he was direct and lacked any sort of tact at all, but he was mostly awkward. Sakura was pretty surprised when they had started dating shortly after, and almost three years later, they were still together. She had come to like Sai as a friend, and the two got along well. He was a good match for Ino in her opinion, and the longest committed relationship that she had ever been in.

So that left Sakura. The one without a date.

Sakura was just finishing up straightening her desk and neatly stacking her textbooks when Ino's boisterous voice came booming as she burst through the door. Hinata followed in tow.

"Okay we don't have a ton of time to make you look all cute!" Ino exclaimed as she dropped a couple bags unceremoniously on Sakura's bed.

"What do I need to look all cute for?" Sakura inquired. Ino could be such a hassle.

"Beeeecccauuusssee…" Ino began. "Apparently Naruto invited his business friend that recently moved here from America! He's Japanese but his family I guess set their main business branch in New York. They have a branch here in Tokyo and want to expand it so he decided to come back and manage it!"

"Ino." Sakura groaned. Great. Another attempt at Ino trying to get her a date.

"Hey don't look at me! It wasn't me who set this up! I've never met the guy! It was Naruto's idea. Apparently they are good friends! Tell her Hinata!" Ino exclaimed.

"Well, Naruto has talked about him before, but since he's been in America most of this time I've never met him. I've only ever heard them talking on the phone." Hinata informed.

"Oooh the mystery thickens!" Ino teased.

Ino began to rummage through the bags that she had dumped on Sakura's bed, pulling out a decorative Yukata. Sakura gave her a quizzical look.

"Don't look so puzzled Sakura! Did you really think that we wouldn't find you something traditional to wear?" Ino asked as if the thought of going in casual clothes was ridiculous.

"Uh.. well… I can't say I was planning on wearing one." Sakura replied.

"Naruto got it for you." Hinata said. "Apparently he thinks you might really hit it off with this guy."

The yukata really was beautiful. It was dark blue in color and was decorated with a gorgeous pink lily flowers and its respective green leaves. Most people might have bought her something with a cherry blossom pattern because her name was Sakura, but Naruto knew her better than that.

"Alright let's get you in this thing. Hinata, do something with her long boring hair!" Ino instructed. Knowing that it would be futile to complain, Sakura just let them do their thing.

* * *

Sasuke was going to give Naruto an earful. That damn idiot hadn't left him alone all day. He had only returned to Japan a week ago, and while he was excited to see his friend again, it didn't make the blonde any less annoying.

He had been bugging him since yesterday to go to this damn festival with them, claiming that they needed to meet up anyway, and that he needed to meet some new friends and his cute fiancee.

Dressed in all black, He wore a v neck tee, black slim cut jeans, and his motorcycle boots. His mother would have given him an earful about not wearing his motorcycle jacket, but the fact of the matter was, it was just too damn hot and humid. Wearing a helmet was going to be bad enough. Sure, he could have gone in a car, but he wasn't exactly keen on the idea of being escorted in a limo. Riding his motorcycle was the only form of freedom he currently had.

Riding in Japan wasn't the same as it was riding in the United States. While he did like weaving in and out of New York traffic, the risk of accidents were really high. Scooters and motorcycles were common here.

Sasuke parked his bike, only to feel his phone vibrate in his pant pocket again. That guy was just impatient.

Part of the reason he was so adamant on Sasuke going was because he wanted him to meet some girl. He spoke of her fondly, and the way he described her gave her the most odd features that he had ever heard off. Sasuke wasn't exactly looking for a date, but he would entertain the thought at least.

* * *

As always, the Tanabata decorations didn't disappoint. When the three women had finally found parking and made their way to the festival entrance, they found Sai and Naruto waiting for them.

"About time! You ladies took forever!" Naruto teased. "Was it that hard to get Sakura out of the house?"

"Don't even get me started." Ino replied with an eyeroll. Sakura shot her a glare. She watched as Hinata placed herself beside Naruto, grabbing his hand, and Ino greeted Sai with a kiss on the cheek. She was already fifth wheeling.

"So, where's this friend of yours?" Ino asked Naruto as the five of them began to head into the festivities. There were little vendor stalls that littered the whole festival area. Festival food and games were always available.

"Coming!" Naruto assured her. "He just thinks he is so important he runs on his own time."

Sakura sighed. Oh great. The way Naruto was describing him was painting a good picture to start.

"Well I had to tell Sakura that someone else was coming to get her to come!"

"Did not! You would have dragged me out anyway." Sakura scoffed, feigning irritation. Naruto chuckled. Those two hadn't changed since they were little kids.

"Well, what should we do first? Food and games? Visit the shrine? Make our wishes?" Naruto asked.

"Let's go make our wishes first, Naruto! I want to get a good spot!" Hinata suggested.

"I agree!" Ino conceded.

"Sai? Sakura?" Naruto asked.

"Wishes are fine." Sai replied, calm as Ino clung to his arm.

"I'm good with that." Sakura agreed.

The five of them began to head off towards a booth where they would find the strips of paper to write their wishes on.

It was definitely busy as there was a massive crowd of people all waiting for a chance to get a strip of paper to write their wishes on. The group found themselves waiting for a while.

"I need to go to the bathroom real quick." Sakura announced. It was true that she really did need to go, but mostly she just needed a second of alone time. As if it wasn't bad enough that she was the single one of the group, it didn't help that it seemed like she was the only single one at this entire festival.

"Okay. Don't get lost!" Ino remarked, giving her a quick wave.

"It's not like I can't message you!" Sakura retorted as she hurried away. She began her search for a bathroom, and it seemed that they had placed them as far away from the main festival area as possible, much to Sakura's dismay.

When she finally did find the bathroom, finish her business, and gave herself a quick pep talk in the mirror, she returned back to where her friends had been waiting only to find that they weren't there. She gave a sigh.

Well, chances are they had already grabbed the supplies they needed and figured she would just catch up. Sakura decided that she would just do the placing of her wishes on her own then catch up to the rest of the group. It wasn't worth the hassle in this giant crowd of people.

It was a few minutes before she was finally able to get her hands on a strip of paper. Hastily writing her wish on the strip, she wished for good health and luck in her studies. Heading towards the towering bamboo plants that had been placed just for wish hanging, Sakura went about finding a spot to put her wish when a voice interrupted her.

"So, what did you wish for?" A deep, yet calm and inquisitive voice sounded. For a second, Sakura was startled, turning her head towards the direction that the sound came from only to see a dark haired raven man with onyx eyes smirking at her. Had he been the one to ask her such a question?

Her cheeks flushed. He was handsome in a mysterious kind of way with his dark eyes and hair that spiked in wild directions.

"U-um I'm sorry, was that question for me?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah." He replied. Hm. That was a rather short and concise answer.

"Oh, well, um… it wouldn't really be a wish if I told you." Sakura shyly chuckled in reply, feeling a little nervous and caught off guard as she tried to make light of the conversation.

"Sakura, isn't it?" He asked nonchalantly. Now he really had her attention. Who was this guy? How would he know who she is? She had never seen the man before. "Sorry, I don't mean to be rude. My friend gave me a description of a friend he wanted me to meet, and you happen to fit it."

"Naruto?" Sakura asked, putting two and two together. At first, he was starting to creep her out a little, but she felt brave enough to continue their conversation. The man nodded.

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha." He replied aloofly. Uchiha? Where had she heard that name?

Realization suddenly dawned as Sakura's eyes widened with disbelief.

"Wait, Uchiha? As in Sasuke Uchiha of Uchiha Trading Relations?" She asked incredulously.

"Yep." Sasuke replied with a shrug. "The one and only."

* * *

When Sasuke had entered the Tanabata festival, he pulled his phone out to try and find out where his friend currently was. He was twenty minutes late past their intended meeting time, but that really wasn't his fault. Naruto was lucky that he had made time to come at all, because the business affairs he had to settle were time consuming and his priority.

Finally getting a response from Naruto, he said they were already in line waiting to do the busiest activity of the whole festival. Make their wishes. Sasuke wasn't much for silly superstitions, but he would go along with it anyway. It couldn't hurt to wish success for his family and business.

To his irritation, he didn't see Naruto anywhere in the massive crowd of people. Well, he was there so he might as well get his wish written and out of the way before he tried to meet up with his friend again.

As he began to push his way through the crowd, a streak of pink caught his attention. A woman with light pink hair that was fashioned into a thick beautiful braid and a red hair ornament that was placed right beside her right ear caught his attention. He wasn't able to catch a glance of her face, but considering that she was literally the only person with pink hair as far as they eye could see, he couldn't help but wonder if she was that girl that Naruto hadn't shut up about. What was she doing here on her own? Had she been late as well and just missed meeting up with Naruto?

Sasuke followed her, curious.

It wasn't long before he was able to get close enough to talk to her and was amused when his question and voice startled her. Her pink her was captivating for sure, but he was really caught off guard when her bright viridian eyes locked with his.

This woman was beautiful. Sasuke couldn't help but wonder how Naruto had befriended such an exotic woman in the first place.

"U-um, I'm sorry, was that a question for me?" She asked, her eyes widening in disbelief. Sasuke found her expression amusing, and even a little cute.

"Yeah." He replied. _Who else would I have asked that?_

Oh, well… it wouldn't really be a wish if I told you." She replied sheepishly, adding a polite giggle. He could tell from her body language that she was a little tense however. Not that he could blame her. He was a stranger that had randomly approached her after all.

"Sakura, isn't it?" Sasuke continued nonchalantly. This again elicited another surprised expression from the pink haired woman. "Sorry, I don't mean to be rude. My friend gave me a description of a friend he wanted me to meet, and you happen to fit it." He continued. Great. He was probably coming off as stalker level creepy.

"Naruto?" She asked curiously. Well, it was a good thing that she didn't just run off. Clearly, she was the 'friend' that Naruto had wanted him to meet.

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha." Sasuke introduced. He was curious if she had heard of their family name before. Most often, girls would suffocate him in their fake attentions upon the realization of what his name meant. A curse really, and the reason that he had avoided relationships all together.

The look of disbelief crossed her features and her mouth almost fell agape.

"Wait, Uchiha, as in Sasuke Uchiha and Uchiha Trading Relations?" She asked. Well, clearly she had heard of him. He was surprised when she didn't all of a sudden turn into a crazy person.

"Yep." He shrugged, all of a sudden feeling more comfortable. "The one and only." It was a good thing that it was so loud that no one else could really hear their conversation.

"I-I didn't know that you were the friend that Naruto had in the United States." She stated. Interesting. So he had been given details about her, but she had been given no details about him? What was the Naruto scheming? Then again, it also meant that her reaction was genuine. She was not like all the other girls he had met. She could have easily feigned her calmness of meeting a rich billionaire like him had Naruto given her details. Now he was really intrigued. How could someone so beautiful be so modest?

"Yeah. He was insistent that I come." Sasuke said. "Here, let's find an opening." He suggested. He let Sakura lead the way as they pushed through the people to get out of the suffocating crowd.

The two of them stopped for a moment once they were free from the mass of people. Sasuke was now able to See Sakura's whole form. She was small and petite, and wore a beautiful yukata that complimented her exotic features. He couldn't help but stare out of the corner of his eye as they both decided to try and find their group of friends.

It wasn't until Sakura's phone began ringing that Sasuke was snapped back into reality.

"Where are you?" She asked into the phone. Sasuke could hear a voice on the other line, but couldn't make out what was being said.

"Okay but seriously! Naruto!" It was interesting to see her demeanor change when she talked to the blonde. Sakura gave him a quick glance.

"Um, I think I ran into that friend that was supposed to meet us? Sasuke?" She said into the phone. The voice on the other end erupted in excitement, but he still couldn't make out what was being said.

"Okay. We can meet you there. I'm starving anyway." Sakura agreed, and with that she hung up. Sasuke watched as she put her phone away and gave him a small, and perhaps a little bit of an awkward smile.

"Sorry about that." She apologized. "I guess Naruto and the other's are checking out the vendors. They want to get something to eat. Do you want to go meet them?" She asked, as if maybe Sasuke would decide that he didn't want to hang around any longer.

He possibly would have, however, he was curious about Sakura, and wanted to get to know her better. "Yeah. I could use a bite to eat." He decided. He motioned his arm out to her. After all, his parents had taught him how to be a gentleman. It seemed that a light blush dusted the pinkette's cheeks as she at first looked as if she was wondering what the gesture was.

"So you don't get lost." Sasuke added, giving her a small smirk. Her eyes met his for a second, sending a chill down Sasuke's spine before she reached out to take his arm.

* * *

Who on earth was this guy? First of all, she didn't know that Naruto was friends with someone like him, even if Naruto was the heir to a large and successful corporation. And second, he was nothing like she had envisioned a rich man to be. He was the most handsome man she had ever seen, and here he was, offering her his arm like a gentleman. Sakura couldn't help but blush. No guy had ever treated her like this before. He was bold, mysterious, yet calm. Part of her ached to get to know him better. She had never felt like this about someone before.

She couldn't help but feel a little shy at the open staring the both of them received.

"Wow, they're so beautiful."

"No wonder they're a couple."

"I've never seen such pink hair!"

"I'm so jealous of her! Who is she?"

Sakura could hear the whispers of others as they stared the both of them up and down.

"I wouldn't worry about what you hear." Sasuke suggested. He was so calm, and even seemed completely unbothered by it. On the other hand, Sakura had never actually experienced such a thing before on her own. Was it that she just never heard the comments, or was it because she was walking with Sasuke that caused it?

Sakura was glad when the familiar view of a tall, short spiky blonde haired man came into view. She almost reluctantly let go of Sasuke's arm, giving a quick thank you as the two of them reached the group.

"There you guys are!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly as he was cheering Hinata on who was playing a bean bag tossing again against Ino.

"This place is crazy busy!" Sakura remarked.

"Well of course it is!" Naruto teased. "It's the festival of lovers!"

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Hey your lucky you have a lover!" Ino chimed in. "Hinata's way to good for you." she added. Naruto chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head.

"I see you found Sasuke!" Naruto grinned. Sakura punched him the arm playfully.

"Yeah after you left me to fend for myself! What kind of friend are you?" She teased.

"It's a good thing too, because I had half a mind to leave." Sasuke added, rolling his eyes.

Hinata and Ino finished their game.

"Wow, who's this hottie?" Ino asked, as everyone's attention was rejoined with the group. "I didn't know Naruto had such a good looking guy friend to set you up with!"

"Ino! Sai's right there you know!" Sakura blushed. Ino giggled.

"Sai knows he's the only guy for me!" She chimed.

Anyway, introductions were in order.

"Sasuke," Naruto began. " This is my fiance, Hinata." He motioned to the raven haired woman beside him, hugging her to his body.

"That's Ino and Sai, we go way back with Ino," he continued. "And of course, Sakura is our pink haired and very single friend." This earned him another punch in the shoulder.

"Nice to meet you." Sasuke greeted.

"Anyway, since we are all here, let's get this party started!" Naruto announced.

* * *

Sasuke had to admit that he had more fun than he thought he would have. Naruto was as loud and annoying as ever, and it seemed that his fiance was a good contrast to him. Sasuke would even admit he was a little jealous. He found Ino to be loud and not really the type of girl he was into, but she was friendly enough. Her boyfriend seemed a little more awkward, but he reigned that blonde woman in when needed.

Sakura however, was who he had the most fun with. She seemed much more relaxed once they found their group of friends, but her personality didn't change much. Sasuke could tell that she really treasured her friends, and she wasn't afraid to knock Naruto down a few notches.

She was cute with her frustrated expressions, and her excited ones. She treated him the same as she did her other friends, though he couldn't help but notice the small blushes that would adorn her face when he caught her staring at him.

They had played tons of games, and tried a bunch of different foods. Against Sakura's will, Sasuke had insisted on paying for all of her stuff, he couldn't help but find her amusing when she tried to pay for things on her own. Naruto teased him for it more times than he cared to count. Sakura often gave him the backlash he deserved anyway.

It was getting late, and the last event of the night would be starting soon. Sasuke followed everyone as they decided to offer a prayer at the shrine before the fireworks would start. He couldn't remember the last time he had prayed at a shrine. It wasn't exactly something he did in America.

"Have you prayed before?" Sakura asked as they neared the shrine. Even with all the festivities, this seemed like the least busy place and it was revenant

"I don't remember the last time that I did." Sasuke admitted.

"That's okay, I'll show you!" Sakura said.

They waiting as Naruto and Hinata took their turn to pray at the shrine, and Ino and Sai followed them.

"Here. You drop some money here like this." Sakura began, throwing one hundred yen into the box before them that had slots. "Then you put your hands together and pray! You can pray for whatever you want!" She whispered. He watched as she did just that. Sasuke followed suite, throwing his yen into the box and putting his hands together to pray.

He prayed for his and his families health, and for luck and prosperity for his business, but he also prayed for something he never once thought he would.

He prayed for a chance to get to know Sakura, and become someone special to her.

His attention however, was shiften when the first sounds of firework explosions began to sound in the sky, lighting up the earth below.

"Aw crap! We better hurry back!" Naruto whined.

"Why not stay up here? The view is nice and it's quiet." Sai suggested. It seemed the rest of the group agreed with that.

Naruto, Hinata, Sai and Ino moved further ahead, most likely to stand away from the shrine and get a little better of a view angle of the show, but Sakura and Sasuke stayed behind, both staring at the fireworks from the spot that they had been praying in. Sakura had a smile on her face. Sasuke loved the way she looked when she smiled.

"So, what did you pray for?" She asked quietly, clearly teasing him for his earlier question that he had asked her when they were writing their wishes.

"Isn't that supposed to be a secret?" Sasuke asked back, amused.

"Haha, I guess so." Sakura giggled quietly. There was a short pause between the two as the fireworks show continued.

"Sakura." Sasuke began quietly.

"Hmmm?" Sakura replied, leaning in a little closer to him.

"Do you really want to know what I prayed for?" Sasuke asked. Sakura shook her head, a small smile on her face.

"I was only teasing you, you know." She said softly.

"I prayed that you might stay by my side." Sasuke admitted. Sakura's face turned red. She looked bewildered for a moment before she attempted to open her mouth in response, but instead was met with Sasuke's lips on her own.

Sasuke was glad that he had come to this stupid festival after all.

* * *

Hahaha so this turned out way longer than expected! It's not anything overly special or dramatic, and the character might seem a little out of character, but I think it ended up being a cute little one shot anyway.

Thanks for reading and I hope that you will take the time to review! I would love to hear your thoughts!

Also, if you have any prompts that you would like me to write about, feel free to either PM me your idea, or leave it in the reviews!


	3. Decided Fate

Hi guys!

I'm so excited to get my first request thanks to dbarbiedoll and add it to my Transcendance collection!

She requested SasuSaku from Karin's POV, and I really had fun writing this one! I really hope that this little one-shot meets your expectations!

* * *

 **Collection II: Decided Fate**

* * *

RATING: T

UNIVERSE: CANON

TIME SETTING: BLANK PERIOD

* * *

It had always been her.

Karin had known this all along, despite her own feelings.

That woman with viridian eyes and pink hair.

It seemed that the universe had a cruel way of reminding her of something that she had tried desperately to forget, but seeing them together after delivering their daughter was just the icing on the cake.

Today, she would allow herself to feel this wretched emotions. All of her memories of Sasuke flooded back to her as she recalled all of the events of their past...

Sasuke never talked about her. In fact, Sasuke pretty much never talked about his teammates from Konoha. All Karin knew were the rumors that she had heard. That he had left behind his sensei, the famous copy ninja, and his two comrades behind, one a female and the other a brother-like male.

Sasuke Uchiha was the last of his clan. A boy hellbent on revenge.

The first time that Karin saw him though, she immediately recognized him as someone that she had once met a few years ago when she had taken part in the chuunin exams in Konoha. He had come to her rescue from a giant bear, but in return had taken the Earth scroll needed to pass the exam.

He had given her a small smile that time. Even though she failed that exam, she remembered him, and the kindness of his actions.

The second time that she saw him, she was ordered to go with him to subdue an escaped Suigetsu. He was serious about getting the task done, and she quickly realized that he did not recognize her at all. The parted ways after capturing him.

The third time that she met Sasuke again, he had asked her to be a part of his team. He was playing a dangerous game by defecting from Orochimaru, but it wasn't like Karin was overly fond of that guy either. He had done some pretty terrible things to her in the name of experimentation, and Sasuke was offering her something else, even so far as telling her that her abilities would be something useful to him.

Karin had gone without a second thought. Her heart yearned to please him.

What had happened from there was like a downhill spiral that Karin witnessed and felt powerless to stop. She had sensed it. The darkness and hatred that began to consume Sasuke and emanate from his chakra.

She said nothing, and did as she was told however, as her heart dictated.

It was toxic, but she was in love with him.

The first time however, that she felt a twinge in her chest, almost as if her breath was just sucked straight out of her lungs, was when she had heard him say _her_ name for the first time.

They were camping out as team Taka always did.

No one ever trusted each other, as evident by the fact that everyone always seemed on guard, and Sasuke never let his sword, Kusanagi be far from his deadly reach. Karin would sometimes lay awake at night herself, unable to sleep.

One night while she had lied there, awake, he was shifting in his sleep. He had rested his back against a tree that night, Kusanagi in his lap. He was mumbling about something, which caught her attention. She could tell that something was obviously bothering him while he visited the dream world of his mind, but didn't dare wake him. His eyebrows were furrowed, and his teeth gritted. A small sweat glistened on his forehead.

"Sakura."

This was the first time he had ever uttered a name that Karin was unfamiliar with, and Karin knew in an instant that it definitely belonged to a female.

Rumors about an exotic haired medic began to circulate after that, or perhaps it was because she had subconsciously become more sensitive about the rumors of Konoha. She heard them when they passed through towns for supplies. Tales of a young man named Naruto were whispered, talked about, and the tales of a young woman with bright pink hair and green eyes who healed many wounded almost seemed to go hand in hand. A deep twist in her gut somehow told her that the name that Sasuke had quietly said that one night belonged to this medic nin.

Thinking of it, Karin once passed a young woman with that description, her pink hair sticking out like a sore thumb in a crowded mass. Almost thinking she was seeing things, it caught her attention, but as soon as Karin stopped and looked, she found no color of pink. Shrugging, she guessed it was just her imagination. She had become paranoid in her curiosity.

Sasuke sank lower and lower into the darkness. He become cold, and ruthless. Where once he had kept a strict rule of no killing, the rules were overlooked. Karin felt trapped as she watched him descend into madness. She began to fear him, despite the fact that her heart ached for him.

The day they fought Danzo, a man who did unspeakable things would be a day of reckoning for Karin.

Sasuke was deep in the darkness. She watched petrified as Sasuke and Danzo fought. They both were gravely wounded, but she did as he commanded. She healed him as he bit onto the flesh of her arms. It made her feel important to him.

However, the sharp pain of betrayal wasn't far behind. Danzo had taken her hostage, and thinking that Sasuke would save her was a foolish, naive wish. Instead, he threw her aside, attacking her along with Danzo to finish the kill. Had she not been in the position she was, Sasuke would have struck her straight through the heart. However, she was probably still as good as dead. Her brain couldn't comprehend it. She felt like screaming in despair.

In that moment, she hated Sasuke Uchiha.

Oh how he had fallen so far.

As if truly throwing her away, Sasuke moved to finish her off, but for what she thought was the second time in her life, she saw a flash of pink.

A young woman who fit the description of the talented medic she had heard about stood firmly between them. If it wasn't for her pure curiosity in the situation, Karin probably would have passed out to never wake again.

She clearly knew him, and he knew her as he spoke her name.

"Sakura."

The hate turned into a crushing weight in her heart. It was in that moment that she knew that this pink haired, viridian eyed medic was someone that _was_ or _had been something_ to him.

She was confessing her feelings to Sasuke. She was willing to throw away everything that she had ever done or accomplished just to follow him. What exactly was their relationship? Why did she want to go with him so bad? Who was he to her?

Sasuke then ordered the pinkette to do something cruel to prove her loyalty. Something that Karin knew that Sakura couldn't do the moment she turned away from Sasuke to face her.

However, Sasuke had no intention of letting either of them live, and in almost a vain effort, as if on instinct, Karin tried to warn the pink haired medic of Sasuke's chidori posed to kill her, only to have someone else intervene. She passed out.

When she came to, the first thing that came into sight was Sakura again, who had been healing her wounds. She knew that her wounds probably would have taken a bit of chakra from her. In this moment, she understood a little about this kunoichi. The expression the pink haired ninja's face gave all of her feelings away even though she probably tried to fight them back. She was someone who cared deeply for Sasuke. She wanted to save him from the darkness, even if that meant ending his life. Karin saw the fierce determination on her dirty face.

She was taken captive after that. Delirious in her posttraumatic mental state. Angry at Sasuke, hating him even, she cursed him. It didn't stop her from escaping Konoha however.

She didn't realize the shit storm that she was about to enter after escaping a village that she understood very little about. In her time there, she wondered how such a strange village that held so much happiness, smiles, camaraderie and laughter could produce someone like Sasuke.

She wasn't there to witness many of the major events that happened during the Fourth Great Ninja War, even though she had done things that had helped, like help Lady Tsunade, an old friend of Orochimaru.

Rumors were plenty however. Everyone was talking about that blonde haired ninja she had once met that she had realized was an interesting person. He had been that famous young ninja she had heard so much about. He had a strange power of befriend and uniting people. He was hailed a hero. She heard about the legendary three way deadlock that had reared it's infamous head once again, with both Sasuke and Sakura as part of the trio. She understood just how insignificant she was compared to them. Compared to _her_.

Sakura was someone totally different from her, and she hated it.

She hated that not only was she a good medic, but she had accomplished amazing feats on the battlefield with her terrifying earth shattering strength. How she was able to stand proudly beside her teammates, which meant that Sasuke recognized her; how she was worth something.

It had become clear to her that she was not someone that Sasuke would give so much as a smidgen of his regard for.

It was a couple years after the war that she saw Sasuke once again. He was travelling alone, but there was something different about him. That murderous intent was gone, replaced by something calmer, something foreign. He was inquiring about some rogue ninjas. Who had this Sasuke become?

His cold and aloof demeanor hadn't changed however, as he was still a man of few words and little facial expression.

His eyes held a softer tone to them however, that Karin had never seen before. Immediately she wondered if he looked at that pink haired medic she had once met with those eyes. Eyes that could see more clearly. Had Sakura saved him from his darkness unlike her?

It was probably just over another year before she saw him again. Karin had been wondering place to place at this moment, still figuring out her mess of a life.

This time however, he was with _her_.

Karin had carefully been trying to build a wall around her heart that still obsessed over the Uchiha, but found that those walls were easily and ruthlessly torn down upon the sight of them. It crushed her heart, for the second time in her life.

Sakura had become even more beautiful than the last time that she had seen the medic. She had matured into a feminine woman and it only amplified her exotic features of pink hair and viridian eyes even more. Karin felt inferior.

Sakura was warm and friendly, speaking to her almost as if she was a long lost friend. Karin found it almost annoying, but at the same time, couldn't help but be bewildered at how someone she barely knew could treat her with such kindness. She found herself accepting her friendship.

However, it didn't stop her from glancing at him.

Sasuke was calm. He looked a little older now, and had grown a bit, towering over his pink haired companion, and his boyish features were replaced with more chiseled and mature ones. His face remained as stoic as ever, but that softness that she had once seen. It was still there, and it was fixed on Sakura.

In that moment, Karin realized just how special this pink haired medic was to him. She held a piece of Sasuke that she knew he would not give to anyone else.

She couldn't help but feel jealous. All she had wanted was for Sasuke to look at her like that. However, despite his lack of words, he gave her a look that she understood and would treasure forever.

He was sorry for the way that he had treated her. Even if it wasn't words, it was still good enough.

Karin had become the head of one of Orochimaru's hideouts, going back to work for him after that. She wasn't sure exactly how much time had passed since she had seen Sasuke and Sakura travelling together, even befriending the pink haired medic until one day Sasuke came through her doors, unabashedly, almost wildly, invading her hideout in a manner that she had never once seen before.

He was panicked.

Beside him was a very pregnant Sakura who was clearly going into labor.

For the first time in her life ever, Sasuke was asking something from her as if she was the only person he could rely on.

Jealousy once again reared its ugly head.

It made her angry. At this point, it was obvious just what relationship the two had. That little being that Sakura held within her womb was the very essence of their connection derived into a materialistic form. She reprimanded him for Sakura's state, and for invading her privacy.

But Karin couldn't refuse. Despite the fact that she wished it had been her instead of this woman, she had come to like Sakura, and she could never do anything to hurt Sasuke. She agreed to help them bring their child into the world.

It was a long labor. Karin did the best she could to make them comfortable, despite how uncomfortable she was herself. She knew that she would never be able to tell a soul about this, not that she would dare. Sasuke didn't have to say a word for her to understand.

Karin learned that there was a whole different side to Sasuke that night, and she probably would have never witnessed it if they didn't come crashing through her doorstep. He was attentive to Sakura. He stayed by her side. The softness of his eyes were replaced by panic, and the stoic expression replaced by his mouth set in a firm line. The lines of worry and the way his eyebrows furrowed gave way to his feelings. He was frustrated.

She did her best to concentrate at the matter at hand and ignore Sasuke, though it was proving to be difficult. She couldn't help but find herself curious of every little thing that he did around this woman. They way he treated her like he treated no one else.

When it came time to push, the room was filled with Sakura's muffled screams. Sasuke was holding her hand with his right hand. It was strange. Karin had never noticed that his left arm had been missing until now, though that wasn't the important thing at the moment. Karin watched as their eyes met, a silent exchange of words between them. Karin instructed Sakura on pushing.

Karin remembered the first time that the little wails of an infant filled the room. Hastily she had clamped the umbilical cord that connected the babe to it's mother and had wrapped it in a blanket, taking note of it's gender. This little baby with a tuft of black hair upon it's head, crying as air filled it's little lungs for the first time was a little girl.

She quickly handed her to Sasuke who for a moment had the most baffled expression on his face as he clumsily cradled the babe to his chest for the first time. She was still crying, no doubt wanting her mother, but Sakura needed a moment. Karin observed Sasuke for just a moment, but the way that he held his daughter and the expression of love and contentment on his face as he stared at the infant in his arms was undeniable. This was the first time that she had ever seen such pure love out of the Uchiha.

Sakura had been someone for Sasuke that Karin could never be, and her heart hurt with jealousy and longing, however, the fact that Sasuke was happy was undeniable.

Karin decided in her heart it was good enough this way. It had to be.

* * *

Thank you again for the prompt! I really hope that I was able to write this to your liking, dbarbiedoll!

Personally, I am not anti-karin, so it was kind of fun to write her. I think that she is an interesting character that Kishi could have personally done more with. I don't really think for a moment that they could have been romantic, but I think that Sasuke had gained some sort of respect and understanding with her if he would trust her to help Sakura deliver Sarada.

As always, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!


	4. Reminding Me of Regrets Pt I

So I was listening to music on Youtube the other day, and this song came on called Reminding Me by Shawn Hook ft. Vanessa Hudgens and it just inspired me to write this little SasuSaku one-shot.

Also, can I just say that I totally let out a fangirl scream over the last Boruto anime episode? Like Studio Perriot, thanks for the little SSS snippet. I wasn't hopeful for any SasuSaku stuff because there was like virtually none in the Boruto movie (and so many would argue that SP really screws up most the time with SasuSaku), but since the anime is now covering the momoshiki ark, I really hoped that it might elaborate more. Also, Sasuke is boss. He totally put Boruto in his place when he scolded him and told him to listen to his mother. Like XD!

At first, this was going to be a one-shot, but it ended up being so long that I decided to make it into a two shot series. The second part will probably be posted later today when I finish it. WARNING: SMUT.

* * *

 **Collection III: Remind Me of Regrets, Part I**

* * *

RATING: M

UNIVERSE: AU

TIME SETTING: MODERN

* * *

 _He_ was on TV again.

It seemed that he was on TV often these days, not that it should have been that surprising though. After all, Sasuke Uchiha was one of the youngest and most successful CEO's to emerge in the business world. The Uchiha International Corporation was already a well known name, but he had managed to expand it and make it more profitable than ever since he had taken over the family business. He was also considered one of the most eligible bachelors of the business world. Women were constantly swooning over him.

This time, he had announced that he was creating a business office in Shibuya. He was vague when asked as to why, but sakura couldn't help but be absolutely intrigued, yet unsure of how to feel. After all this time, it was odd. Sakura felt her heart rate begin to rise.

"Dr Haruno, we have another patient requesting you." A nurse, Shizune called, snapping the doctor's attention away from the TV. She hadn't realized that she had probably been standing there for a while as she stared at a man she once knew.

" _Awe c'mon Sakura! Don't be a hermit! Everyone's going to be at my party! Including some new people!" Naruto's voice whined into the phone as he facetimed her. Sakura rolled her eyes knowing her best friend could see it. She had been friends with Naruto since they had both been in diapers and almost inseparable ever since._

" _Naruto, I have to study!" Sakura argued, trying to stick with her conviction, no matter how much she didn't want to disappoint her best friend. He pouted, his cerulean eyes flashing disappointment._

" _Plleeeeeaaaase?!" Naruto continued to beg in reply. "Seriously, I haven't seen you in weeks!"_

" _Hey, you're seeing me right now!" Sakura teased, knowing that Naruto probably wouldn't find her smart ass comment funny._

" _Over the phone doesn't count!" Naruto complained. Sakura sighed._

" _Okay fine, but one drink… and I can't stay the whole time!" Sakura finally agreed, defeated. In the end, she just couldn't disappoint her friend. This was college though, and she was in her final year of her pre-med studies. She had partied much more in her earlier college days, so many memories with Naruto as they met many of their current friends, Sai, Hinata, Ino, Choji, Shikamaru through their parties._

It was also how she had met _him_.

"Okay, I'm coming." Sakura called after Shizune, hurrying out of the hospital's break room to fetch the patient's clipboard.

After graduating pre-med school in three years, she had gone to medical school, finishing that in two years before becoming a resident doctor at Shibuya Hospital. She would be finishing up her residency soon. Her main goal was to specialize in pediatrics eventually, but for now she wanted to learn as much as a general doctor. It was crazy to think that almost five years had passed.

Grabbing the clipboard from the nurses station and telling Shizune that she was headed to attend to the patient, Sakura headed to the treatment room, her white doctor coat proudly on display. She had worked hard to be able to wear one.

She knocked on the door before proceeding to enter.

"Hi! I'm Dr. Haruno. How can I help you today?" She greeted as she entered the room.

 _Sakura was running late. She had been studying like crazy for an upcoming exam and had decided to take a nap before meeting Naruto and their friends for his party, but had overslept on accident._

 _Not only was she running late, but it was pouring rain outside. If it hadn't been warmer, she would have been freezing. Naruto had decided on a club for everyone to meet at. It had been a while since Sakura had gone out, and much longer since Sakura had dressed up to go out to a club. She even had a dress that had been sitting in the back of her closet that she had never worn and was perfect for the occasion. It was a gorgeous black dress, and form fitted. The dress had a playful mock neck that tied around her neck and was sleeveless with a plunging open back. There were straps crossed in the back however to give it detail. It came down to her mid thigh. She wore a pair of strappy black heels to go with it. She had even taken the effort to curl her hair, but had kept her makeup and everything else simple. The rain however had result in her curled hair falling a little, making it more like she had sultry beach waves._

 _Keeping her physique had always been important, especially since she liked to box for exercise and stress relief. She wasn't exactly oblivious to her nice tone and petite figure._

 _Dashing from the taxi to the dryness offered from the veranda over the club entrance, she flashed her ID to the chaperone before making her way inside._

 _As expected, it was noisy inside, and dark with flashing lights everywhere. Immediately she began to look for that loud mouth Naruto and the rest of her friends. She found them quickly sitting at one of the large bar area tables. Taking a deep breath, she headed over to them._

" _Hey guys, sorry I'm late!" Sakura chimed as everyone looked at her. Hinata, Ino, Sai, Shikamaru, Tenten, and Neji had already arrived before her to Naruto's party._

 _There was someone new that sat beside Naruto and immediately, Sakura felt her face flush a little. He was mysterious with his black, messy and unruly hair and onyx eyes to match. He seemed almost as if he was brooding, uninterested in being here, however for a moment his eyes met hers, onyx locking with viridian._

" _Wow Sakura! You made it! You look great!" Naruto finally said, breaking the silence and giving her one of his signature grins. Sakura smiled back. Everyone voiced their agreement._

" _Um thanks, Naruto." Sakura replied, all of a sudden feeling super conscious and shy._

" _Wow forehead, look at you clean up!" Ino teased._

" _You look beautiful!" Hinata complimented._

 _Finally, Naruto's party could begin. Sakura settled beside the raven haired girl whom she had befriended. Naruto didn't know it yet, but Hinata had a huge crush on him ever since they had met two years ago. The two got along great, but Naruto was rather oblivious. Sakura had come to really like Hinata._

 _Maybe one day they could be more than friends. She was rooting for the raven haired woman._

Sakura gave a sigh of relief when she finally exited the patient room, satisfied that her patient had received the care that he needed.

However, that wasn't the only reason that she had wanted to rush out of the room. The guy was friendly enough, and not so bad looking himself, but he had given her his number, telling her that he would really like to take someone like her out.

Sakura had taken the number out of politeness, knowing that she would never actually call. Never mind being interested in someone, she hadn't even been on a date in the last five years.

 _Everyone had disappeared onto the dance floor, leaving Sasuke and Sakura sitting at the table alone in awkward silence. Sakura glanced at Sasuke out of the corner of her eye as she sipped a pina colada and watched Naruto dance with Hinata. He seemed like he was genuinely having a good time with her._

" _So, how do you know Naruto?" Came a low masculine voice. For a moment, the question startled Sakura as she looked over at Sasuke who was calmly sitting a few spaces beside her in the booth._

" _We've been friends since I can remember." Sakura replied back, giving a small smile. "How do you know him?" She asked, trying to continue their small talk._

" _School. I'm here for the year as an exchange student studying International business. That idiot just proclaimed himself my new friend." Sasuke replied, seeming somewhat humored._

" _He has that effect on people." Sakura added, her smile a little more genuine. "Sorry, what is your name? I couldn't hear Naruto's introduction very well."_

" _Sasuke Uchiha." He replied curtly._

 _Uchiha… where had she heard that name before? Suddenly, realization dawned on her as she almost choked on her drink._

" _Wait, as in Uchiha International Corporation?! How did you end up here of all places?!" She exclaimed. Sasuke frowned, as if displeased. "S-sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. I just sort of thought that well…" She was saved from her awkward outburst when Naruto came loudly to the table, having dragged Hinata with him who was blushing furiously herself. Seriously, Naruto was so dense, and Sakura could tell that he was a little intoxicated._

" _Guuuyyyys. Come dance. Seriously. I didn't invite you two so you could just sit there!" He scolded._

" _I told you, I don't dance, Naruto." Sasuke grunted, glaring at his friend._

" _Oh come on, be a gentleman Sasuke! I'm sure Sakura needs a dance partner!" Naruto reasoned. Sakura blushed, giving Sasuke an apologetic look. "Or are you just too embarrassed with your horrible dancing skills?" Naruto was egging him on._

" _Sorry, don't mind him. I'm good with not dancing!" Sakura lied as an excuse, waving her hands in denial, sensing the awkward building tension._

 _Sasuke gave off an irritated sigh. "You always have to go there, don't you Naruto?" He flashed the blonde a challenging smirk as he offered his hand to Sakura as if almost demanding that she partake in his challenge. Sakura tentatively reached for his hand and when her skin met his, his fingers curled around hers, hot and large in comparison to her smaller, dainty ones. Sakura couldn't help but blush as she let him lead her to the dance floor._

By the time Sakura's shift ended, it was six in the morning. The sun was barely peeking over the mountains and the sky was just starting to light up from its bright warm rays. This was probably Sakura's favorite thing about working the graveyard shift, but she wasn't a fan of how tired it made her.

She had settled into a routine though, working her graveyards, spending her morning and early afternoon doing her studying before she slept to get ready for the next graveyard shift and repeat the cycle.

It was definitely time for a coffee, and Sakura always looked forward to visiting her favorite little coffee shop. It was a small coffee shop that held many memories of past times.

The streets were quiet as Sakura quietly made her way towards the little shop, yawning along the way. She was grateful that they were always open so early, and that it was often not super busy at this time. She would often sit at her favorite table by the big windows, staring blankly as she watched everyone else who worked during the normal hours of the day rush to their jobs. It was an interesting sight to say the least.

"Ah! Sakura!" Sakura heard the greeting as she entered the shop, a smile on her face. For as long as Sakura had been a customer, the owner was very familiar with her.

"Morning Tadashi." She replied. Tadashi was the owner's son and a few years older than her. She had met him in her earlier college days as he would help his father out around the shop before he retired. He had asked her on a date once, but Sakura had politely declined, knowing she had zero interest in him. That was three years ago - now he was happily married. They at least maintained a friendly relationship.

"The usual again? I don't know how you manage to stay up all night." Tadashi commented, immediately getting to work on Sakura's favorite coffee, a caramel macchiato.

"You know it. Some days, I don't know either." Sakura joked back, as she made her way to her favorite table, ready to resume her morning routine and eager to give her feet a rest for a few moments. Her phone buzzed. Without a second thought, Sakura pulled her cell phone out of her coat pocket to see who it was, turning on her phone screen.

' **Hey, guess who's in town?'** it read. It was from Naruto, and Sakura was very aware of whom it was referring to. Sakura was about to send Naruto her reply when Tadashi came over with her coffee, sitting across from her as he sometimes did if they were the only ones in there to chat.

"So, big news for our town, huh?" He began. Sakura sighed. Sasuke had been plastered on evry news channel in this town.

"Yeah, it is." She replied softly. Tadashi knew very much of the relationship she had once had with the Uchiha. However, the anxiety was beginning to rip her chest into shreds. Would she run into him eventually? Did he even want to see her? What would she even say, after all this time?

Sakura quickly sent a reply to Naruto. **'How does this concern me?'**

 _Sakura had a better time than she thought she would dancing with Sasuke._

 _While they just talked and were friendly with each other, Sakura had still enjoyed her night. He was definitely handsome, and it was nice to meet someone new._

 _It wasn't until she got home that she realized that he had entered his number into her cell phone. He must have done it when he had asked to see what time it was since his phone had died. Smooth. She didn't even give it a second thought when she had given him her phone._

 _For the first time, Sakura thought that maybe, just maybe, she could see where this would lead._

Tadashi could tell that Sakura didn't really want to talk about the Uchiha creating an office in town, so Sakura was glad when he changed the subject. She enjoyed talking with him about his wife, and he would ask about her work at the hospital. However, when another customer came in, Tadashi disappeared to do his work, leaving Sakura once again to her own devices as she sat staring outside at the people through the window.

* * *

Sasuke hated TV interviews. He was really just not a fan of being in the public eye, but it was his job after all.

After all this time, after grinding away at his job, he had attained many of his goals. He was a man of stature, of respect, and intelligence.

Shibuya was a special place to him. It held some of his most precious memories, and the biggest regret of his life.

It was a good financial decision to build an office there however. It would be another good expansion to his business. At least, that was the main reasons he had convinced himself that he needed to return after five years.

However, he couldn't help but wonder about _her_. Even now, he could remember her bright, beautiful pink hair, her deep viridian eyes, and her bright smile… but he also remembered her tear stained face, the hurt in her eyes, and angry sobs.

It had been five years, and Naruto and his now wife, Hinata, were the only ones that he had stayed in contact with when he had left.

His phone buzzed. Sasuke couldn't help but smirk a little when he opened the text that he had been sent.

' **DUDE! I can't believe you're back!'** Sasuke could almost feel Naruto's excitement through it. That blonde was one of the most idiotic and annoying people he knew, but he was also like a brother to him. They had stayed in contact this whole time, but Sasuke hadn't managed to come back and visit the dobe since he had left.

' **Yeah. I'll be around for a while.'** Sasuke wrote back. It didn't take long before he received another response.

' **Sakura's still here, y'know? She's a doctor at the hospital.'** Immediately Sasuke felt a sharp pang of guilt in his chest, his heart rate quickening at the mention of her name.

' **Not sure why that matters.'** he replied. Though, it was a lie. It _did_ matter. This time, the response took a little longer.

' **Because she's still single AF... asshole.'** Sasuke ran his fingers through his unruly spiky hair in frustration. Naruto had never liked that they had gone their separate ways. Naruto had gone so far as to punch him in the face for it, even though Sasuke had deserved it. It had been a touchy subject ever since. Naruto always spoke his mind, but at the same time, gave them their space.

" _Then, go out for coffee with me." Sasuke casually slipped in conversation while he and Sakura were studying at his apartment. He watched as Sakura stared at him dumbfounded for a moment as if she had been hearing things._

" _Coffee?" She asked, as if confused._

" _Yeah. You know, that hot drink full of caffeine we are all addicted to." Sasuke replied, being a smart ass. Sakura playfully punched him in the arm which caused him to smirk. This pink haired, viridian eyed woman was just someone different, and he liked different. It was the first time someone treated him like a normal guy and not like a celebrity because he was an Uchiha._

" _Is the almighty Uchiha asking me out on a date?" She playfully teased, though a cute blush dusted her cheeks._

" _Hn." He was sure that he was blushing himself._

By the time that his private jet had landed at Shibuya airport, it was just after six in the morning. It was going to be a long day, that was for sure, but seeing this city for the first time in nearly five years was nostalgic. It really hadn't changed much. With the day just starting, maybe he could visit one of his favorite coffee shops first.

It didn't take him long to find the coffee shop, even if he had forgotten the way there. He once knew how to get there like he knew the back of his hand, but the years had still changed the town a little more than he anticipated. Shops he once knew were gone, replaced by new ones. There were newer streets, and newer apartment towers.

Seeing the familiar coffee shop however, he was glad that it was still exactly the same as he remembered it. He didn't know why, but he paused outside the door, memories coming back to him and he wondered if he should go in… but with a deep breath, he pushed open the door, the bell ringing as he entered the little coffee shop.

 _Studying had turned into coffee dates. Coffee dates had turned into lunches and dinners together. Eating together at meals turned into Sakura and Sasuke just spending all their spare time together. Sasuke liked that Sakura didn't mind having him around when she studied unlike her other friends. She had always mentioned that they ended up being more of a distraction than a help, but Sasuke was calm and helpful in comparison._

 _Sasuke learned that Sakura was extremely diligent and intelligent. She also was fiercely loyal to her friends, and sometimes that took her attention away from him._

 _While they never necessarily made anything official, not labeling what their relationship was, Naruto would tease them for it, often resulting in him getting a thrashing from Sakura. For such a petite and slim woman, she hit hard, no doubt a result of her boxing practice. He had watched her box once, mesmerized by her focus and they way she made it look effortless._

 _They were comfortable with the way things were. Sasuke had to remind himself it needed to stay that way, but he was finding it more and more difficult._

 _However, one day, they had both gotten a little tipsy. They were celebrating Sakura's birthday at her apartment with all her friends. Afterwards, everyone had left, leaving Sasuke and Sakura by themselves. Admittedly, Sakura could hold her alcohol well, but Sasuke knew that she was more tipsy than he was. He was just never much of a fan of being intoxicated._

 _The right thing to do was to help her to her room and demand she go to bed._

 _Sakura he found, was a little more honest when she drank. It was that night that she pulled him to her, kissing him with her soft, warm lips. Despite the fact that he didn't want Sakura to regret it, he kissed her back. He had been wanting to taste her lips for a long time, but had always been unsure of how she felt. He had been selfish, he knew._

 _Her pink hair, viridian eyes…. Her slim petite figure and porcelain skin...Her kindness and determination… her resilience… Sasuke found that he was hopelessly falling for the pinkette._

 _Their relationship changed after that._

Sasuke was greeted by a younger man, not one that he had seen before in the coffee shop, though he looked strangely similar to the owner that he did know. However, it was the color of pink out of the corner of his eye that really caught his attention.

Almost as if the man's voice had been tuned out, immediately Sasuke could feel the color drain from his face and his heart began to beat rapidly.

He knew that pink from anywhere.

Her back was turned to him, but he realized that the woman was wearing medical scrubs as he watched her stare out of the window as if lost in her own world.

"Sakura?" He asked, almost in disbelief. Upon hearing the name, the pink haired woman turned towards the direction her voice had been called, her eyes widening in disbelief as viridian met onyx for the first time in five years.

"S-Sasuke?"

 _They shared more kisses after that, though neither officially confessed their feelings to the other. They continued on as they always had, happy with just that. They ignored all the speculations of their friends, denying being anything more than good friends._

 _They were content._

 _The tension was there though. Sasuke was apprehensive. There was just a couple weeks before the school year ended. A couple more weeks, and he would be returning to Tokyo… and he hadn't told Sakura that yet._

 _He would have to leave her behind. He could never ask her to give up her dreams to come with him, even if that was what he wanted. So it was better, not to put a label on things. Not to make an expectation out of the other._

 _Then graduation came. They all partied, had a good time, and drank as usual._

 _Sasuke would be leaving in a week however. He knew Sakura had been accepted to medical school here, and Sasuke was grateful that she didn't ask him about his plans. Maybe she didn't want to. After all, he had told her that he had just come here to study for the year. Maybe this was her way of putting distance between them, her way of protecting herself._

 _That night changed everything though. Though both him and Sakura had drank, but neither of them had enough to drink to be intoxicated. It had been enough to give her courage though._

 _Sakura had confessed that she was in love with him._

 _Sasuke's heart was happy. He had been in love with her too, though he hadn't said it back yet. He knew he shouldn't, but he was the first to kiss her. There had been quite a bit of sexual tension between them at this point, and things had escalated quickly._

 _They were in his apartment this time, Sakura softly moaning as he kissed the crook of her neck and jaw, his hot breath fanning against her ear. Her moans and heavy pants were creating a pooling desire in Sasuke, one that he was willing to lose himself to._

 _Hastily and clumsily, their kisses turned rougher, Sasuke was demanding as he kissed Sakura with desire, tasting her sweet lips and plunging his tongue into her mouth as they began a battle for dominance._

It seemed like time came to a standstill as viridian stared into onyx eyes.

Even after five years, Sakura had only become even more beautiful. She had kept her hair short, but had parted it differently, having her bangs swept to the side. Her viridian doe eyes were still as beautiful as ever, and her face had really become that of a feminine body. She was absolutely gorgeous, and it was as if this was a cruel reminder of what he had so willingly given up once.

He could see the uncertainty, the disdain, and confusing that flickered in her eyes. It seemed that the hurt and longing had faded.

"It's good to see you." He said softly. She gave a small awkward laugh.

"Uh, yeah. Same to you." She replied. However, she immediately turned back to her table, grabbing her bag and coat that she had hung on her chair. Even if Sakura were to maintain a calm exterior, her actions were giving her away entirely. He watched as she threw her coat on.

"The hospital must be really lucky to have a good doctor like you." He commented, attempting to make this a little less awkward with small talk. She gave him a small smile.

"Ah, I suppose. It looks like you've really done well with your family's business." Sakura complimented. She would not meet his gaze.

"Thanks. It's nice to see this coffee shop is still here." Sasuke commented. Sakura stiffened, as if he was implying, or reminding her of something.

"Yeah, the owner's son, Tadashi now takes care of it. Remember him?" Sakura informed him. He watched as her right hand nervously fidgeted around her purse for something. Sasuke couldn't help but feel a little curious. He noticed that she did not wear a ring on her ring finger, however, she was clearly familiar and comfortable with Tadashi based on how she said his name.

Sasuke looked over at Tadashi, giving him a slight nod of acknowledgement. That's right. He had been helping out here and there around the coffee shop when he had lived here. He looked a little older though.

"Anyway," Sakura continued. "It was good to see you. Good luck with your new offices." Sasuke noted that she had pulled out a set of car keys, and looked over to Tadashi, mouthing a thank you and goodbye before she headed for the door.

"I'll be seeing you, Doctor." Sasuke said as she left the coffee shop.

He watched her leave for a moment. For the second time in his life, his chest felt heavy. This was the second time she was walking away from him, and he didn't chase after her.

 _Sakura was a goddess._

 _She was undressed, down to her panties. For a moment, Sasuke took in her beautiful figure underneath him. Her skin was soft and warm underneath his fingertips. He resumed kissing her, discarding his own shirt as he kissed her collarbones this time, elicited a gasp from the pinkette. Slowly, tantalizing, he made is way lower, towards her soft mounds of flesh. Her rosebud nipples were erect, becoming sensitive as he breathed onto them. Slowly, he took the right one into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the nipple as he gently sucked. Sakura let out a sinful moan in response. Sasuke then took her left breast in his left hand, kneading it softly while his mouth continued to give attention to Sakura's right breast._

" _Ah, Sasuke." Sakura breathed hotly. She was becoming a hot mess underneath his touch. Sasuke found her to be entirely intoxicating, wanting more._

The memories.

She had always been in his dreams. She would invade his thoughts, and he would push her out of his mind.

But seeing her for the first time in five years had been harder than he thought, and seeing her so soon was entirely unexpected…and for the first time, he realized just how much he truly regretting giving her up.

* * *

As soon as Sakura made it to her car, angry tears fell from her viridian eyes as she sobbed.

This was too cruel. She had spent the last five years trying to get over Sasuke, to forget just how happy he had made her. She was already just trying to comprehend the fact that he was back into town… she didn't expect to see him right away!

He was just as handsome as she remembered him, but the last five years had only increased his ruggish look. His jaw was more masculine, and his nose aristocratic. It wasn't fair. Sure, she saw him on TV but he looked even more handsome in real life. His hair had grown a little longer, but it was still the same.

He was still the same. Stoic as ever. He was guarding his emotions, but his surprise at seeing her had been genuine. There was a slight flicker of longing in his eyes but he hid it quickly.

The worst part of it was that she still loved him, just as much as she did five years ago. She had been trying to deny it for a long time, but seeing him just then proved just how much she had been lying to herself.

She wasn't sure if she would be able to handle him being here. There was always going to be the chance that she ran into him. Always the reminder of him leaving her.

 _Sakura moaned as Sasuke began to kiss lower, leaving butterfly kisses as he trailed his lips down her taunt stomach. She shivered as he reached her hips, giving them a playful nip that caused her to jerk. He then kissed her right foot, trailing hot kisses up her right calf, then her right thigh, inching closer and closer to the sensitive place between her legs. She felt her face flush when his breath fanned on her womanhood, teasing her before he gave the same attention to her left leg as he did to her right._

 _She was on cloud nine. His kisses felt so good. She wanted to lose herself in Sasuke. She wanted to be his._

 _Then, he stopped. He stilled for a moment, their heavy breaths the only audible thing in the room._

" _We can't do this." He whispered, strain in his words. Sakura felt like her world had just shattered. Embarrassed, she pulled away from Sasuke, her vision becoming hazy as tears began to form. What did he mean? Was he rejecting her? Was she not good enough?_

" _What do you mean?" Sakura asked, her voice trembling. On instinct, she clutched the sheets to her naked form, as if all of a sudden she didn't want Sasuke to see her._

" _I'm leaving in a week, Sakura." Sasuke confessed softly, the look of regret on his face. Sakura gasped._

" _Y-you knew?" She accused. The first tear fell._

" _Yes." Sasuke admitted._

" _Why would you keep this from me?" Sakura demanded angrily, as she got up, gathering her clothes that had been discarded on the floor._

" _I didn't want to tell you… because I didn't want to hurt your feelings." Sasuke replied._

" _Hurt my feelings?! Sasuke you led me on! I-"_

" _I know. I didn't want to lose you."_

 _Sakura was sobbing as she angrily threw her clothes on._

" _You lied to me!" Sakura accused, storming out of the bedroom and to the front door where her shoes and purse were. "Did you get a kick out of pretending to be interested in me?!"_

" _No, it's just… this wouldn't have worked out… that way." Sasuke concluded. Sakura quickly put on her shoes, tears still streaming down her face. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. This all had to be a sick joke right?_

 _Sasuke didn't make a single move to comfort her. Her mind was screaming at him to prove her wrong, but no effort was made._

" _Go to hell, Sasuke!" She angrily sobbed as she opened the front door of his apartment, slamming it shut behind her without even glancing back at him once._

 _It wasn't until she left that Sasuke slowly slid down the wall by the door where Sakura had left. He had wanted to chase after her. He wanted to take all the pain away. He wanted her more than anything… but his father would never approve. He would lose everything that he was working so hard for. He had to become the heir of the company over his brother Itachi if he wanted to live life the way he wanted. Being second best and the second hand man was not good enough._

 _For the first time in his life, he sobbed._

When Sakura had gotten home to her flat, she threw her shoes off, threw her dirty scrubs off, making her way to her bathroom. She needed to shower. She felt dirty and wanted to feel clean. If only the hot water to clean her treacherous emotions too.

She stood in the shower until there was no hot water left before she resigned to getting out. After drying off her wet body and wrapping her short hair in a towel, she went straight for her bed, flopping down on the sheets. She had placed her phone on her bedside table, seeing it light up and vibrate in the darkness of her room. She usually kept her flat closed up since she slept during the day.

All Sakura wanted to do was ignore her phone, and ignore the world until she had to go into work, but her conscience dictated that she at least look at her phone to make sure that it wasn't an emergency from the hospital.

There were five missed calls from Naruto. Sighing, she threw her phone onto the bed. She just didn't want to answer or return Naruto's phone call. She knew that Naruto had kept in touch with Sasuke all this time, and she was sure that he had already heard about their encounter in the coffee shop.

* * *

It was awkward as hell after Sakura left the coffee shop and left Sasuke alone with Tadashi. It was obvious that their exchange was awkward and full of tension. Neither spoke a word about it as Sasuke ordered a black coffee, paid the man extra, and left the coffee shop.

' **I ran into Sakura at the coffee shop.'** Sasuke texted Naruto.

' **Damn. How'd that go?'** came the response.

' **Okay, I guess? She seems good.'** Sasuke replied.

' **Sorry, If I knew you were going to that coffee shop this morning, I would have told you not to.'** Naruto apologized.

' **Are you FUCKING kidding me?'** Sasuke angrily responded, as if it was the phone's fault.

' **Do you regret it?'** Came Naruto's response, as if entirely ignoring Sasuke's last comment. Though, Sasuke knew exactly what Naruto was referring to. Naruto had shown up at his doorstep the next day and laid him out after Sakura had ran out on him.

' **I can't change things.'** Sasuke messaged back in response.

' **You won't TRY. Don't you think she deserves some sort of explanation? I mean, you're here after all. At least try to get along.'** Naruto suggested. **'After all, there's the possibility that she might be the doctor saving YOUR ASS if something happens. Just saying.'** Sasuke could imagine the snicker Naruto had while he wrote that text message.

' **Just let me die.'** Sasuke couldn't help but be a smart ass.

' **You're a bastard.'** Well, Sasuke did deserve that. **'Besides, you accomplished what you wanted, didn't you?'**

There was truth to that as well. He did indeed become the heir and CEO of the company. He didn't have to worry about his father's rules, or any of his family's rules. Nor would he have to be put into a marriage for the company's sake. That was why he wanted to do this in the first place. But doing so meant hurting the one woman he had fallen deeply in love with.

' **Hey, remember how you punched me for being an ass and said to never talk to Sakura again?'** Sasuke jabbed.

' **You are still an ass. But I care about her happiness too… and despite what you think, yours too.'** Ugh. Sasuke hated when Naruto got all mushy on him.

Sasuke pulled up to his hotel.

' **I'm not doing this, idiot.'**

' **Chicken shit. I'm outside your hotel room. Man up.'** Sasuke scoffed, immediately regretting that he had given his best friend his hotel address and room number. It was just like Naruto to meddle in things, always going in head first without all the details.

Indeed his blonde best friend was waiting out front of his hotel room suite, arms crossed as he tapped his foot in agitation. Sasuke noticed the ring on his wedding finger. He had missed that wedding due to not being able to face Sakura and knew that if he went, she would not go.

"Five years hasn't changed you." Sasuke stated. That was his kind of greeting. The blonde grinned.

"Well, other than I'm like a married adult and stuff now." He replied with a laugh. "I still haven't forgiven you for not coming to the wedding."

"I've stopped apologizing at this point." Sasuke retorted. He opened the door to his hotel suite, letting himself and Naruto in.

They had been talking for a while about his return to Shibuya, and at his request, he had told Naruto to keep Sakura completely out of it. Naruto has been trying to talk him into reconciliation with her ever since he found out.

 _Sasuke was pretty sure that he didn't sleep at all that night. He felt tired. He felt hopeless. A knock came at his door, and for a split moment his irrational mind hoped that it was Sakura and that they could at least talk things out, but instead when he opened the door, he was met with a fist to the face that sent him flying to the ground._

" _What the hell!" He snarled, grabbing his jaw. Naruto stood in his doorway, his door now swung wide open with him glaring down at the Uchiha._

" _You bastard! How could you treat Sakura like that?!" He growled, his fists clenched as if ready to launch another punch at him. Sasuke immediately got back up, glaring back at Naruto._

" _Don't meddle in things you can't understand." Sasuke threatened._

" _What?! I I can't believe you knew you were leaving this long! And you led Sakura on! You broke her heart!" Naruto angrily lectured._

" _I didn't mean for this to happen. I wanted to stay friends I just…" Sasuke trailed off, unable to come up with anything in defense. It's true. He had been horrible. He hadn't kept the restraint in their relationship as he should have. He had fallen for Sakura._

" _Don't ever talk to Sakura again!" Naruto furiously threatened, before he turned and angrily stomped away from the Uchiha's apartment. They didn't talk for six months after that._

"Sasuke, you are going to regret it for the rest of your life." Naruto continued after some small talk and catching up with Sasuke. Turns out his wife, Hinata had just found out she was pregnant and that they were expecting their first child.

Sasuke would never admit it, but part of him envied that Naruto was so happy and was so in love with his wife.

"I've made my decision, Naruto. I've had to watch her walk away from me twice now." Sasuke replied, sighing.

"Why are you being so stubborn?" Naruto scoffed, irritated.

"Because this is what's best. How can I ask for her forgiveness?" Sasuke asked. "My lifestyle isn't easy. I can't ask her to just stop being a doctor either."

"Sakura's almost done with her residency. She can be a doctor anywhere, so that's a lame excuse." Naruto reprimanded, rolling his cerulean eyes at his friend, eliciting a glare from the Uchiha.

"You know that's not the point."

"Okay, you want the point Sasuke? Here's the points!" Naruto began, his demeanor suddenly changing from playfulness to seriousness. Naruto really got in your face when it came down to business. "Point number one, you still owe her a fucking apology." Naruto started, holding up one finger before adding a second. "Point number two, you at least succeeded in your goals. Just because I know the details and the reason you did what you did, albeit in a shitty way, Sakura doesn't… and point number three." A third finger went up. "I am going to tell you right now, as a married man, that you will regret it. You will let Sakura go, and you will be miserable for the rest of your life, you miserable bastard. And I mean, more miserable than you already are." There was a slight pause.

"Point number four, Sakura is too good for you. If someone too good for you is in love with you, you sweep that damn girl off her feet and run… which you clearly suck at." He added. Sasuke scowled. Naruto was probably having a great time adding the insults.

"Naruto, just stop." Sasuke growled. He just didn't want to hear any more.

"Fine… but don't blame me when she finally does move on and is happy with someone else, and you are miserable." Naruto warned. "Anyway, it was good catching up with you in person. I need to go tend to my pregnant wife."

"Hn."

"You know I'm always going to ask if you're constipated when you give me that answer." Naruto joked, clearly amused.

Sasuke had a feeling that his time here was going to be hell.

* * *

Aaaaaand there's part one. If it was confusing, everything in italics were flashbacks to previous events, telling the backstory.

Part two is mostly finished, but while writing this, I hit over 30 pages and am still going. It is the longest drabble/chapter that I have ever written. Also, there's even better smut in the second part... so enjoy.


	5. Reminding Me of Regrets Pt II

Part II!

This was seriously such a long drabble. But as promised, here is part two. Things really get heated here. Also, I am really new to writing smut, soooooooo…. Yeah.

I really hope that you guys have enjoyed this little mini story! As always, I am taking requests for my one-shot series, so if you have any requests, feel free to ask in a review or shoot me a PM. I'm always looking for a challenge to improve my creative writing skills.

* * *

 **Collection III: Reminding Me of Regrets, Pt II**

* * *

RATING: M

UNIVERSE: AU

SETTING: MODERN

* * *

Two weeks had passed since Sakura had run into Sasuke. The last two weeks have also been hell. She was constantly trying to make sure that she didn't run into the guy. She was glad when it seemed that he didn't show up at the coffee shop again, though Tadashi revealed that he was just coming in at different times, or not at all.

So he was avoiding her too, after all.

She was enjoying her morning coffee like most days, but unlike her usual routine, she had the next three days off of work.

Her phone vibrated. Curiously, she grabbed the phone out of her pocket to see who had messaged her.

' **So… Sasuke kind of has your number.'** Naruto's text read. Sakura could immediately feel anger well up in her chest as she swore she was going to beat that idiot to a pulp (well not really, he couldn't leave Hinata's child fatherless).

' **Naruto! What the fuck! Why would you give it to him?!'** Sakura texted back, though those words couldn't come close to conveying just how pissed off she was.

' **He asked for it.'** Came a quick response. Sakura felt like she had been hit in the chest with a sledge hammer, her heart rate skyrocketing.

' **What do you mean he asked for it?!'** Sakura inquired. Why would Sasuke all of a sudden want her phone number? Well, not that Sasuke couldn't find a way to get a hold of her anyway. She did kind of work at a local hospital.

' **He asked for your number, and I gave it to him.'**

' **You're a horrible friend!'** Sakura wrote back.

' **I'll just pretend that you aren't being mean for now.'** Naruto texted back.

' **I hate you.'** Sakura replied. Naruto didn't respond to that, but she knew that Naruto didn't take her threats seriously anyway. That whole thing aside, now Sakura was going to have anxiety for the rest of the day, wondering what the hell Sasuke wanted her phone number for.

Thirty minutes later, and she got a text from an unknown number.

' **Sakura. It's Sasuke. Can we meet?'** It was simple, and straightforward. For a moment, Sakura looked at her phone screen, unsure of how to respond to that.

' **I don't think that's a good idea.'** She wrote back after a few minutes.

' **I just want to talk.'** Sasuke replied, almost immediately.

' **I'd rather not. We live different lives now, Sasuke.'** Sakura replied.

' **Sakura, I just want you to hear me out.'**

' **No! Don't text me again. I can't believe Naruto gave you my number!'** Sakura angrily responded. After five years, now he wants to talk?! It was bad enough that she had to deal with him being in town and that they had basically avoided each other in the last two weeks, but this was just too much.

' **Please, Sakura.'** Came another text. Sasuke had completely ignored her request. **'Look, we don't have to be friends. I just.. want to set things right.'** Sakura sighed. Sasuke was not the type of person to say 'please', so he must be pretty desperate. She was going to regret this.

' **Fine. On my terms. There's a restaurant on Miyaki St.'** She wrote back.

' **The dango place?'** Sakura couldn't help but blush a little, caught off guard at the fact that he remembered.

' **Yep. I'll be there at 7.'**

' **Okay. I'll be there.'** Sakura hadn't realized that she had been holding in her breath as she let it out in one big sigh. She sent Naruto one more death threat though.

' **You are dead, Naruto. I can't believe Sasuke wants to talk.'**

' **Sakura, just don't kill him.'** He wrote back, causing the pinkette to roll her eyes. She wasn't going to believe that Naruto was innocent in this, not for a second. Naruto was the only one who had kept in contact with Sasuke this whole time.

* * *

Sasuke was always on time, and if he wasn't on time, he was early. He had cancelled all of his evening appointments to do this. It had taken Naruto another week of pestering before Sasuke finally gave in and agreed that at a minimum he should at least tell Sakura the truth.

The little dango shop still looked the same from the outside as Sasuke pulled up in his black sports car.

Ever since he had run into Sakura at that little coffee shop, he couldn't stop thinking about her. He had not been sleeping well either. Dreams about their break up would come to him, or dreams about her being with another guy would plague him. Even on two occasions he dreamed about having sex with her and her whispering sweet nothings in his ear as she moaned underneath him which left him waking up a hot mess and sweating like crazy.

She was driving him crazy.

Shutting off his car, he could already see her pink hair through the shop window. She was sitting at a table close to the window, sipping on some tea. She had always liked sitting by the windows. He could tell that she looked nervous. It was still ten minutes before seven. Just how early had she shown up?

Releasing a sigh, Sasuke got out of his car and walked into the shop. Once again, onyx eyes met viridian.

Sakura was wearing a white ruffled shirt and dark wash denim, her hair neatly brushed and a headband to match.

"Hello sir! How can we help you today?" A waitress greeted, though she seemed extra polite. Sasuke was used to this however. They see him roll up in a nice car and usually an expensive suit. Tonight however, he had changed into much more casual clothes, settling for some dark wash skinny jeans, a white shirt and casual grey blazer.

"I'm meeting someone, thanks." He replied, as he went to sit across from Sakura. He watched as she brought her tea to her lips again, staring out the window as if there was something super interesting out there.

"Nice car." She commented as she took a sip.

"It's not bad." Sasuke replied, going with the flow.

"I ordered myself some dango. You can order whatever you want." She continued. As if on cue, the waitress came by the table.

"Hi! I see your guest has arrived! What can I get for you?" She chirped all too happily. Sakura found herself a little irritated at how the waitress's demeanor had changed since Sasuke was sitting with her.

"A water is fine. I would like some salmon rice balls." Sasuke ordered. "Put everything ordered at this table on one tab." He added. The waitress seemed a little put off by the fact that Sasuke was implying that he was paying for Sakura's food, but both Sakura and Sasuke ignored it.

"So you wanted to talk?" Sakura began, getting straight to the point.

"I wanted to apologize." Sasuke corrected. "For what happened." he added. Sakura let out a small chuckle as if in disbelief.

"Five years is enough time to not expect one." She replied, bitterly, still holding her cup and gazing anywhere but at him.

"It doesn't mean you don't deserve one." Sasuke offered. "I messed up."

"I think it was a little more than an 'I messed up'" Sakura mumbled. Silence fell between the two as the waitress brought Sasuke his water, in which he politely thanked her for.

"I guess I can't disagree with that." Sasuke conceded, after the waitress left them again. "It was my fault. I knew that I was only going to be there for a year. It wasn't right for me to lead you on."

"I was the stupid one who fell for it." Sakura scoffed.

"I should have had more restraint." Sasuke stated. "My goal was to become the heir and then the CEO of my family's company."

"Congratulations, you're now one of the youngest rich people in the world." Sakura sarcastically commented. Sasuke would be lying if he said that those words from Sakura didn't hurt more than they did. It was a shallow jab, but he did deserve it.

"I didn't want to be the one stuck with an arranged marriage." Sasuke confessed. This got Sakura's attention as she looked at him for the first time since he had sat down, her eyes conveying confusion.

"An arranged marriage?" She asked skeptically. "So now you're telling me that you were busy screwing around with me when you had a fiance?" Oh boy. Way to twist this to make it sound even worse.

"My father wanted us to marry to merge companies, but I've never met the woman that he wanted me to marry." Sasuke revealed. Sakura scoffed.

"Wow, that makes this whole situation so much better."

"Sakura, my father would have never approved of our relationship." Sasuke countered.

"It wasn't a _relationship_." Sakura argued, though Sasuke could tell by the falter in her voice that she was lying about how she felt. It was a relationship. They may not have ever put an official label on it, but Sasuke was in that relationship too.

"I wanted to become CEO of our family's company so that I could marry whoever I wanted. I didn't want to have to answer to my father or brother." Sasuke continued.

"Well, now you can, if you haven't already." Sakura replied quietly. Again, they paused their conversation as the waitress brought the both of them their food, asking if they needed anything else before retreating off to wherever it was that she sat and waited in the restaurant for customers.

They both began to eat to get some dinner in their stomachs before continuing their conversation.

"So, you're finishing up your residency?" Sasuke asked, changing the topic as Sakura's last reply had made things a little awkward.

"Yeah. I'll be finishing up in August." Sakura replied, taking another bite of her food. "I'm assuming Naruto told you."

"Are you planning on staying here when you are done?" Sasuke continued, ignoring the fact that she assumed that their blonde friend was involved. Sakura raised an eyebrow as if his questions were odd.

"Um, don't know yet." She replied. "I still want to become a pediatric doctor someday."

"You'd be good at that." Sasuke commented. He could tell that Sakura stiffened, as if unsure how to respond to that, but Sasuke had been honest in his compliment. Sakura always had a kindness about her that he felt would make her a great mother someday.

"Thanks. I guess we both have been able to achieve some of our dreams." Sakura conceded, "It's what we wanted." Sasuke couldn't help but feel guilty.

Sitting this close to her, he was only reminded of just how exotic and beautiful she had become. For the first time, Sasuke detected somewhat of a calmness from Sakura, as if she had finally resigned herself to what had happened. Sasuke however, wasn't sure if he could do the same. The longer that he sat here with Sakura, the more he found himself not wanting to let go.

They continued their meal, finishing it much faster than Sasuke would have liked. The waitress came back to the table giving Sasuke the tab, batting her eyelashes at him as he politely exchanged his card with her to pay.

"Thanks for dinner." Sakura began, pushing herself from her chair as she began to grab her things. Sasuke did the same in response.

"Sakura, I'm glad you came." He replied as he watched her fumble around for her things like she had at the coffee shop.

"Thanks for apologizing. I never expected one." Sakura admitted. She paused for a moment, as if contemplating something before she spoke again. "I'll see you around. Since you're in town I mean."

"Yeah. I'll be here for a while." Sasuke replied, a little surprised at her last comment. It was as if she would be okay with seeing him again. A foreign feeling of hope ignited in his chest.

"Okay. See you Sasuke." With that, she gave him a small smile before walking past him and out the restaurant door. Sasuke stared at her as she moved farther away. This was the third time that he has had to watch that woman walk away from him.

* * *

That was arguable one of the hardest things that Sakura had ever had to do in her life.

He was sincere in his apology, and she could see it in his eyes. For the first time in a long time, she felt lighter. She felt some sort of closure, but at the same time, she found that it was still hard to let go.

Even after everything had happened, she still found her body reacting the same way it once did. Her cheeks flushed, she began to sweat, and her heart rate increased. She blamed it on her memories. She even still remembered the way his lips felt against hers, and it frustrated her.

He had left her.

After she had walked out on him that night, she hoped that he would prove her wrong and fix things. Tell her that he felt the same. He never did reply to her confession.

It crushed her for a second time a week later when he really did leave, and he never came to see her. He never so much as sent her a text, or called. He had just disappeared like he had never been there in the first place.

It wasn't until two weeks later that she had found out that Naruto had gone over there in her defense and threatened Sasuke to never contact her again.

Sakura gave a wry smile as she drove home. Strange how five years can change things.

Just as Sakura was pulling up to her building, it was beginning to rain. At first the cold water droplets came down in a light sprinkle before it suddenly became a heavy downpour. It had rained like this Sakura thought, the night she had first met Sasuke.

Rushing into the building so that she could go up to her flat, she still got soaked. Between her long shift and being awake all day, she was definitely more than ready to go to sleep for the night. She would sleep in as long as she needed to tomorrow.

She was heading to her bedroom after throwing off her damp coat and wet shoes when a knock came at her door.

* * *

Chase after her. That's what his mind was screaming. Chase after Sakura and do something, _anything_. Sasuke clenched his fist. No, he should have chased after her the first time. The third time? Who was he kidding? He couldn't even tell her that he had loved her back.

"So um, I didn't want to interrupt you guys since I thought you were on a date…" The same waitress had approached Sasuke again. "But here's my number. Want to go out for coffee sometime?"

Sasuke stared at the paper for a second as if confused before he realized that she was asking him out. "Sorry. I'm um… not available." He rejected politely. The look a disappointment and embarrassment was clear on the waitress's face as she mumbled an apology and walked away.

Finally exiting the restaurant, Sasuke quickly dashed for his car. It was beginning to rain. It had rained the night he had first met Sakura. Getting into his car, he pulled out his phone. Coffee. Coffee had started everything between him and Sakura.

' **I need Sakura's address.'** He typed in, sending the text to Naruto.

' **Dude she was already pissed I gave you her number. How did meeting up with her go anyway?'** He replied.

' **Sakura's address. NOW.'** He typed in, sending it. **'You know I have the resources to find it if I need to'** He added in an attempt to further persuade his blonde friend. While he wasn't lying, it would take a while before he would be able to get that info, but he wanted it now.

' **Okay, okay fine… but you better not let Sakura kill me later! It's your fault!'** Naruto wrote back. **'The building is 435 Shikaku St. She is in the top flat'**

Sasuke didn't answer as he used the voice command in his car to input the address. His phone vibrated with another message from Naruto.

' **You gonna tell me how it went? Obviously something went down if you want her address!'** Naruto pestered. Sasuke growled. He would have to answer Naruto later. He was about to do something really stupid, but he had already let so many chances pass by.

At a minimum, he had to at least tell Sakura that he had loved her too. It had taken him three times to realize just how much. She deserved to know that even with how things turned out, he had, and did return her feelings.

She didn't live too far away from the restaurant that they had eaten at he found. Pulling into guest parking, he quickly threw his phone into his jean pocket before making a dash for the building. The rain was really coming down hard.

When arriving in the building, a security officer sat at the front desk.

"Sir, how can I help you?" He asked upon seeing the damp Uchiha enter the building.

"I'm here to see Sakura Haruno." Sasuke replied. The guard raised an eyebrow as if he was suspicious. Sasuke was going to have to resort to something so this guy didn't send him off. 'I'm an old friend of hers, Sasuke Uchiha." He added. Immediately the security guards face lit up.

"Sasuke Uchiha? As in the CEO of Uchiha International?" He asked, perplexed. Sasuke nodded. He wasn't a huge fan of playing this trump card, but it proved useful at times.

"Yes."

"I didn't know that miss Haruno was a friend! Sure, go up. She's probably expecting you." The guard offered, calling down the elevator for him. Sasuke didn't say anything more. She definitely wasn't expecting him.

As soon as the elevator arrived, Sasuke thanks the security guard, getting onto the elevator and pressing the button for the flat on the top floor.

Arriving on the top floor, Sasuke could see the front door to Sakura's flat. Stepping out of the elevator, he stared at it, suddenly wondering if he should really do this. If this was the right thing. He would be intruding in her life. He didn't have a right to do that… but he had to know. Had to know if there was anything he could change.

Sasuke let out a shaky breath as he willed his feet to move one in front of the other towards the door. It seemed too soon when he arrived at it, tentatively bringing up his right arm to knock. It was now or never. He could run away and be that same coward that he was, or he could do what he should have done a long time ago.

He knocked on the door. He could hear footsteps approach the door. He froze as he heard the door being unlocked as Sakura opened it to peek who was outside her door. Shock overtook her face.

"Sasuke? W-what are you doing here?" She asked, opening the door all the way. Sasuke could tell that she hadn't gotten here much before he did. She frowned. "Did Naruto give you my address? Wasn't my phone number enough?! I'm going to k-"

"Sakura." Sasuke finally said as he watched the pinkette. Her viridian eyes met his again. "I need to know."

"Know what?" She asked, seemingly getting irritated. Sasuke gulped.

"If you still have feelings for me." he asked firmly. He watched her cheeks flush as she frowned, as if she was offended by such a ridiculous question. He knew that this was unfair. She was probably going to lay into him, and never ever want to see him again.

"How can you ask me that? Seriously Sasuke, I was nice enough to meet with you but-"

"Sakura, I loved you too." Sasuke confessed, effectively shutting the pinkette up. She clasped her hands to her mouth at his sudden confession. She looked like she was going to be sick. "I still love you." Sasuke continued. For a moment they stared at each other in silence, neither of them so much as breathing.

"That's not fair." Sakura shakily replied, averting her gaze as her hands fell to her sides again.. She clenched her fists. Sasuke tried to prepare himself for disappointment. He deserved it after all. "That's not fair, Sasuke!" Sakura scolded. "After everything that's happened, now you think you can tell me how you feel?!" She exclaimed. "What do you think you are doing?!" Tears were forming in her eyes as the first one fell. Sasuke wanted to take all the hurt, all the tears away.

"I'm doing what I should have done a long time ago." He declared, grabbing Sakura and crashing his lips against hers. At first she completely stiffened, not kissing him back. It was not like Sasuke could force her to change her mind, or even think about giving him a second chance, but he had to kiss her, at least one more time.

It seemed like an eternity, but he felt Sakura slowly relax in his embrace as she began to respond to his kiss, tears streaming down her face. Sasuke felt like it was too soon when they broke apart.

"Sakura, I'm sorry." Sasuke apologized again, leaning down to kiss a tear away. He pulled them into her flat, shutting the door behind them as she clutched his shirt in her fists, sobbing into his chest. She hadn't given him an answer yet, but he would comfort her for as long as he needed to. This is what he should have done so many years ago.

"I wanted to hate you. It was so much easier to hate you." Sakura sobbed. "But when I saw you, I realized I still loved you, and it hurt so much." Sasuke held her tighter as his chest felt like it was going to explode with her confession. "After five years, why?"

She was too good for him.. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve a second chance.

"Sakura." He said softly, as she looked up at him, trying to wipe the tears away. Sasuke gently cupped her face with both her hands, as he leaned down to kiss a couple of tears on her cheeks before softly pressing his lips to hers again.

How he had missed these soft warm lips. They were familiar, and perfect. Sakura was perfect.

She kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck as he pulled her closer, one hand on her neck and the other in her hair. They kissed slow at first, as if their kisses were fragile, but Sasuke felt a familiar yet foreign heat begin to pool in his lower belly. Their kisses became rougher, more desperate. Eventually they broke for air.

"Stay with me." Sakura asked softly, a sultry glow in her viridian eyes and Sasuke didn't hesitate to give his reply with more kisses. He was going to never leave this woman again, not ever, no matter what it took. He needed her with every fiber of his being. He had fought for his chance to be free to chose whom he loved, and while he had thought for sure that he was going to have to settle for someone who wasn't Sakura, here he was.

Breaking apart from her lips, Sasuke moved to kiss the crook Sakura's neck, eliciting a sensual moan from the pinkette that was music to Sasuke's ears as it ignited a deep desire within him. Sasuke slowly moved his hands, gripping Sakura's thighs right underneath her backside and as if in sync, she immediately wrapped her legs around him. Sasuke caught her as he carried her to her bedroom. Luckily the door was open and he saw the bed or else it might have been a little awkward since he had never been here before.

He dropped her on her mattress, quickly discarding his blazer before he pulled his shirt off, tossing them onto the floor. He kissed Sakura as she took her shirt off, breaking from their kiss briefly before tossing hers to the floor without a care in the world. Sasuke was going to make Sakura his. He would not give up a second chance.

This time, he kissed her neck again, licking and suckling at the spot between her neck and earlobe as he reached around to unclasp her bra. She gasped when he nipped a sensitive spot and he freed her of her bra, revealing her soft creamy breasts.

"Sakura." Sasuke breathed against her neck, "If this is what you want, I won't hold back." He warned huskily, his voice low.

"Don't." Sakura breathed back, her voice barely above a whisper. Sakura was driving Sasuke wild. The urge to just consume her, to take her like an animal and give in to his carnal desires overcame Sasuke as he gave her a few nips at her collarbone, leaving little marks behind as he moved down towards her breasts.

Sakura's breasts were just as he remembered them. Her rosy nipples were already erect from his teasing kisses as he kissed down her chest and took the right one into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the sensitive bud.

"Nnngh." Sakura moaned in response, which only stroked Sasuke's ego. Her moans were to most sexy thing he had ever heard, and he wanted to make her moan his name in pleasure. Sasuke wanted to make Sakura blissful putty under his touch.

His left hand massaged her left breast before he gave it the same attention that he had given her right one. The way that her back arched under his touch, and the moan that escaped Sakura's lips were delicious. The fire that was pooling in his lower belly was beginning to become unbearable with his need.

While suckling her breast, he traced his fingertips slowly down Sakura's stomach, to the waistband of her pants as he undid the button and zipper to them, hooking his fingers beneath the waistband to pull them off.

Sasuke's gaze met Sakura's as he slowly pulled her pants from her legs. This woman was bewitchingly beautiful, a seductress. Her viridian eyes glazed over with lust as a blush colored her cheeks. He threw her pants over on the floor.

He could smell how sweet she was and it only made his need for her grow. He wanted to bury himself into her warm slick folds between her legs. Starting at her ribs and kissing down her taunt stomach, Sasuke teased Sakura as she moaned in response to his kisses. He gave her a little playful nip at her hip which made her gasp as he hooked his fingers at the waistband of her panties. If he had it his way, he would rip them off in an instant and have his way with her, but he wanted to take it slow. He wanted to enjoy the way he made her moan.

Slowly, Sasuke peeled away Sakura's panties, a wet spot indicating her arousal evident. Sasuke could smell her sweetness even more. Tossing her panties to the floor, he moved to put head between sakura's thighs, but she tried to close them in response, as if embarassed.

"Relax." Sasuke breathed, kissing her right inner thigh affectionately. She did as he commanded as she relaxed again, surrendering to his kisses. Sasuke took his time, kissing both of Sakura's thighs before he moved towards her wet moist slick folds. He breathed hotly on it which caused Sakura to gasp in response.

Sasuke kissed her there before sticking his tongue out to run along her sweet opening.

"Aaaahn." Sakura moaned, her breathing heavy. In response, Sasuke did it again, enjoying the sweet taste of her arousal. He found the cluster of nerves above her opening, taking it into his mouth and suckling on his which caused the pinkette to squirm and curl her toes as she let out another seductive moan. Sasuke was going to make her cum before he took her.

Slowly licking at her nerve bundle, he inserted a digit into her wet, silky cavern. It was warm and tight around his finger. She moaned again at this as he experimentally pumped in and out with one finger before inserting a second digit.

Sakura was so tight around his fingers, and Sasuke could only imagine how good it would feel around his cock. He began pumping faster as he suckled on Sakura's sensitive mound.

"Aghn, Ohhhh." Sakura moaned. "Yes, Sasuke, Ooooohh."

Sasuke could feel Sakura becoming more wet down there as he played with her, teasing her. Her silky walls were beginning to tighten around his fingers as the hot coil in the pit of her stomach began to tense, plunging Sakura closer to her release. Sasuke didn't stop, he wouldn't stop until she screamed in her ecstasy. It wasn't long before she would cum.

"Oh, Sasuke! Aaaaaaagh!" Sakura almost screamed as that coil in her stomach released, sending her body in a pleasurable fit of contractions as her orgasm ripped through her body. The fluttering of Sakura's walls around Sasuke fingers and the creaminess of her orgasm had him beyond aroused, and the need to bury himself within her walls was unbearable. Slowly, he pulled his fingers from her wet core, licking them clean. Sakura was still coming down from her high, but Sasuke was far from finished with her.

Quickly, Sasuke discarded his pants and boxers, discarding them on the floor before he climbed on top of Sakura once more, kissing her lips again. He was so hard, and his desires were demanding that he be inside of Sakura, now. He traced her waist, hips and thigh with his right hand softly, causing Sakura to moan against his kisses.

"Are you sure you want this, Sakura?" He asked huskily, one last time, his final attempt at restraint. Her eyes locked with his.

"Yes, I do. Please." She whimpered. "But, I've never been with anyone before." She sheepishly admitted, causing Sasuke to flush and hesitate for a moment as he realized what that meant. This was not his first time, but he would make sure to treat Sakura gently and like a goddess.

"Okay." Sasuke replied softly. He kissed her again, his kiss deep and endearing. He grabbed Sakura's right arm, guiding her down to his manhood, wanting her to grasp it. She gasped when she felt it and Sasuke groaned at the foreign touch. It felt so good. She began to experimentally rub it, causing Sasuke to shiver with pleasure. With a growl, he pinned her arms up, no longer able to restrain himself as he rubbed his length along her hot slick opening which caused them both to moan out in pleasure. He was teasing her, but he wanted her to be ready.

Positioning himself at the opening, he began to push his length into her opening, hissing as he did. He pushed in just a little, relishing in the way her tight warm velvety walls grasped the head of his length. Then in one fell swoop, Sasuke buried his length inside her, pushing past her hymen, stilling for a moment as Sakura gasped in pain. Sasuke kissed her in an effort to distract her from the discomfort she was going to feel until she began to get used to him. It was so hard. The way that she took all of him, and her hot tight wet walls squeezed his cock as he fought the urge to roughly thrust inside her.

They stayed like that for a while until she began to relax. Sasuke continued to shower her jaw and neck in kisses as he experimentally began to move inside her, pulling out slowly, before burying himself again. She gave off a long moan as he did. Experimentally, Sasuke did it again, starting to create a slow pace between them. Sakura felt so good around his length, her tight walls creating the most erotically sweet friction against him. He was losing himself in her. Slowly, their pace began to quicken, Sasuke desperately trying to keep his thrusts steady as they began to ascend towards pleasure. Sakura was beginning to moan between her pants as Sasuke buried himself within her.

"Aaaaahn." She moaned, her cavern becoming more slick as she became more aroused. "Sasuke… oooooh."

Sasuke grunted in response, feeling his climb towards climax quickening. He needed release, but not before bringing Sakura to hers. He was thrusting into her roughly now, Sakura's back arching at the sweet, tantalizing friction between the two. As if on instinct, she began to buck her hips towards his, as if desperate for more. Sasuke groaned as she did, feeling her walls begin to contract around him. She was getting close to her release. Grabbing her thighs to pull her into a better angle, he thrust into her, not holding anything back as the sound of their wet skin slapping against each other filled the bedroom.

"Nnnngh Sasuke, yes! There Ohhhh.-" Sasuke moaned as her walls became unbearably tight before her orgasm ripped through her body, causing her warm walls to flutter around Sasuke. Her moans of ecstasy as she rode out her second orgasm and the feeling of her around his cock was enough to send Sasuke over the edge as he let out a guttural moan when his own orgasm ripped through him, his hot seed shooting into Sakura's wet cavern. His thrusts were erratic as he rode out his orgasm with Sakura.

He collapsed on her, both of them panting as they came down from their highs, trying to slow their breathing. Affectionately, Sasuke kissed her forehead before kissing her swollen lips softly.

"I love you." He breathed softly, causing the pinkette to smile.

"I've always loved you, Sasuke." Sakura replied softly. Sasuke smiled back, kissing her one more time before he moved off of her, pulling Sakura to his chest and wrapping his arms around her. They listened to each other's breathing for a while before falling asleep.

It had never felt more perfect.

* * *

Bright rays of light peeked through the cracks in Sakura's dark curtains as she groaned. What time was it? She stretched, memories of last night flooding back to her as she rolled over, disappointed to find to that the space beside her was empty.

Quickly, she sat up in bed, trying to register what was going on, realizing that Sasuke was gone. She almost panicked but spotted a red rose and a small note by the empty pillow beside her. Tentatively she reached for the rose and note, a blush decorating her cheeks as she read what Sasuke had written.

' _Marry Me, Sakura'_

Sakura's heart fluttered at the three words as happiness began to bubble in her chest. Looking over at the time, it was already eleven in the morning. She couldn't remember the last time that she had slept that long, or slept that good. No wonder Sasuke had left already. She might have been off work for three days, but he wasn't.

Stretching the last of her sleepiness from her body, she reached over to her phone to tease Sasuke.

' **What kind of a proposal is that?'** she cheekily sent him. His response was immediate.

' **A demanding one.'** He replied. Sakura rolled her eyes. He was such a smart ass sometimes. He always had been, but she couldn't help but grin like an idiot.

' **I might have to consider it.'** She wrote back.

' **You already have.'** He responded confidently, unfazed by her answer. **'Sakura Uchiha'** he added. Sakura blushed even more at the change in last name.

' **I'm a handful, you know.'** She wrote back.

' **Indeed.'** He replied. **'I will see you for dinner.'**

Maybe now neither of them would have to live with their regrets.

* * *

Okay, haha I'm done writing trash now.

It was kind of fun to write though, and I hope that I didn't make the character too OOC.

Please leave a review for me! I like it when you guys tell me what you think, and I always appreciate CONSTRUCTIVE criticism.

Until the next drabble! Also, I'm currently working on my main fic, Ascension, so don't forget to check that out if you would like to read a SasuSaku multi-chapter fic. Sorry for the shameless plug.


End file.
